Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier
by BerettaMan
Summary: 1st Person POV. Read about the story of a Special Forces soldier caught in a war between the Mugen Tenshin clan and Russian mercenaries while trying to survive in the forests of Japan.
1. Simple, Yet Complicated

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

Hi everyone. This is my first fanfic that I've submitted to Fanfiction.net. Hopefully you all like it. 

**Chapter 1: Simple, Yet Complicated**

As I sat in the cramped quarters of the transport plane, I could only think about one thing: the mission. It was simple, really. The General said to just "Find and eliminate the enemy." Yet, many complications could arise from it. All those scenarios of what could go wrong that were running through my mind were interrupted when the pilot over the speaker said "5 minutes."

I immediately snapped out of my daydream, and scrambled to ready my gear. I made last minute checks on everything, including my parachute. Satisfied that everything was in order, I stood near the doorway. "1 minute!"

That was my cue to open the door. After doing so, I felt the air rush in, but I was able to breathe easily because of the oxygen mask. The plane I'm in was so high up in the air that anyone on the ground would just think that this plane was just another commercial air liner. 

I didn't wait for the pilot's last words. I was counting down since his last announcement, and promptly jumped out of the plane just before the pilot could say anything.

All I could see was the clouds going through me, then suddenly, I saw the mass expansion of green vegetation below me. 

"Welcome to Japan, soldier!" I muttered under the mask. "Please fasten your seatbelts to ensure a comfortable ride! Since you are doing a HALO insertion, don't forget to pull the harness of your parachute just before you land, or you'll go out with a splat, not a bang!"

I felt really childish for saying that, but I needed to give myself a laugh here and there. I'll lose my mind if I'm serious all the time.

As the green blur below me became much cleared, I decided to activate my parachute, and with that, I slowly drifted downwards, watching the trees became cleared by the second. The leaves and branches collided with me, but the end was near. I almost made it, but the damn parachute got stuck on a tree! It was a good thing that I wasn't over 2 stories high, so I simply took out my combat knife and slashed at the strings. I then fell to the ground with a loud thud. After about a minute of recovering myself from the HALO drop, I finally stood up. I removed my helmet, as well as the oxygen tank hanging on my chest. I looked all over the place to make sure no one was around, and after realizing that I was on my own, I took a deep breath. I looked up into the sky, and saw trees blocking my view. The sun's rays were trying their best to pass through the large mass of greenery. It was a beautiful morning.

I went to the stream just next to me, and looked at the reflection. I saw a man wearing woodland camouflage, brown spiky hair, with black paint drawn into lines all over the face. Funny, I almost didn't recognize myself, as I don't look in the mirror quite often. As the green eyes stared back at me, I thought back to my briefing…

Two days ago…

"Good evening, General." I said, as I gave him a salute.

"Good evening, Lieutenant." He said. He returned my salute, and said "At ease."

I then stood straight and put my hands behind my back, as I listened to his orders.

"Well, I'm sure you are up to date with the news abroad, or more specifically, in Europe, right?" He said.

I nodded in reply as I let him repeat what I already knew. "U.S. Forces, along with NATO Troops, have routed most of the Russian Terrorist Cells operating all over Europe…"

I didn't fully listen to the rest of what he had to say, until the part where there was actually some new information. "…with the capture and interrogation of the top members of this mercenary group, we have learned that the terrorists that have escaped our troops have retreated to their base, which is located somewhere in Japan. Your orders are simple: Find and eliminate the enemy."

I just stood there. Nothing is that simple. There are bound to be complications in every mission. "Anyone going with me?" I asked.

"No. Our troops, specifically, our Special Forces are scattered all over the map. We've got troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now, most of our troops in Japan and other nearby places are going to South Korea for a possible war with North Korea. Regular troops are a big no-no. Just think of this as a final mop-up job. You'll be cleaning house."

"I don't get any support whatsoever?" I asked annoyingly. I've done many solo missions before, but they're mostly for intelligence gathering, not purposely searching and killing enemy soldiers. "And why me, sir?"

"Actually, you're main mission is to locate the main enemy base. From there, you are to lace the target with a laser designator, and Navy pilots will take off from the nearby Carrier and take care of the rest. We can explain to the media about the air strike much more easily than if we send in our own troops. Of course, you must still eliminate any and all terrorists that you encounter. None of them must be left alive. And as for your other question, well, we chose you because of your 'Ethnicity'. You are…" He then looked over my file, a file I did not even have access to. "…half-Russian and half-Japanese, correct?"

"Yes sir." 

"Your looks could be of some help. When people see you, they won't automatically think 'American!' in their minds. It's best that no one knows who you are, and which country you represent."

"Understood." Was all I could say.

"Finally, you are not to kill any other people besides the terrorists. There's the presence of this Mugen Teshuu…Tenchin…Tenshin clan in the vicinity of your operations."

"Mugen Tenshin Clan? What are they?" I asked, intrigued by this third party group I might encounter.

He then flipped open another file and said "According to the intelligence that we've gathered, which isn't much, I'm afraid to say, they are a ninja clan who claims to own most of the territory that you'll be trudging along."

"Great. They sound territorial already."

"These people are somewhat like mercenaries. They do assassinations, kidnappings, etc."

"Like what terrorists do?" I piped in.

"They are not branded as terrorists by the Japanese Government, so there's nothing much we could do right now. Do not touch them. You are only authorized to use non-lethal means to incapacitate them if they interfere with your mission."

I smiled at that. If I can't kill them, I wouldn't mind beating their asses up.

"Also, according to intelligence, there's no link between them and the Russian Terrorists that you will be hunting for. Hopefully, with the terrorists' presence, these ninjas might engage in war against them, which should make your job a lot easier. However, if these ninjas are connected to the terrorists, you are authorized to use lethal force."

"Great. My workload just got doubled."

"Not necessarily. Remember, you are only after the Russian Terrorists. If you do uncover a link between them, that's for another mission. You must be bored right now. I'll stop right here." He then took something out of his desk. "Here's a disk containing more information about your mission. Study it, and get ready. You leave tomorrow morning. There won't be any stopovers on the way to Japan, Lieutenant." 

"Sir, how many of these terrorists are left?"

"Unknown."

"Oh…" I then took the disk, gave him a salute, and then went back to my quarters. "Great…I smell a suicide mission…" 

**End of Chapter 1**

I'll be honest with you. It might take about a chapter or three, maybe 4 or 5, ahhhh, who knows, before any DOA characters (more specifically, the four ninjas that you all love) appear. Sorry about that.


	2. Shit happens

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

**Chapter 2: Shit Happens**

Anything can go wrong on a mission. Hell, anything can go wrong with just about everything in life. I just didn't expect something to go wrong this early.

After my little daydream, I noticed how light my load as. I then suddenly realized that my backpack wasn't on my back. I panicked, but I managed to calm myself down by keeping myself busy. I slowly got rid of my anxiety while getting rid of any signs of my intrusion into this jungle. I was able to think clearly, and I came up with three possible scenarios: one, I forgot my pack in the damn plane; two, it slipped off of me during my HALO jump; or three, it fell off my back while I was stuck in that tree. Well, the first one is highly unlikely, since I triple-checked all of my equipment before jumping out of the plane. I am 99% sure that my pack was on my back. It couldn't be the third one, because I'd probably see it immediately, despite my backpack having the same woodland camouflage pattern as my BDU(Battle Dress Uniform). So, the most likely thing that happened to my pack is number two. If that's the case…

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! My backpack could have fallen anywhere in this forest." I said. I was surprised that I didn't yell this out loud.

After a few minutes of deep breathings and more cursing inside my head, I decided that crying over spilt milk was just a waste of time. I had to make do with what I've got.

For starters, I still have my map and compass in my right breast pocket. Without them, I'd probably resort to mugging some poor traveler just for these simple navigational tools, if I could even find one, and if he or she is even carrying them. Next, I have two water canteens, which have four liters of water in total. That's good enough for at least two days. Even if I ran out of water, I also have a ton of chloride pills to purify water found in streams. My binocs also made the trip. I'll need this to look at things clearly from a distance. Finally, I had my radio, my only link to HQ, which is actually a Battle Carrier cruising around South Korea. A surveillance aircraft high up in the skies is actually the one responsible for picking up my transmissions, and acts like a relay between me and the Carrier. I also had an earphone attached to the radio and a mic to minimize noise.

As for weapons, I've got two of them: my combat knife and my Beretta. The knife is safely tucked on my left breast, and I've used it earlier to chop off the parachute strings that kept me stuck. Knives are always essential in a survival situation, since they have many uses. The Beretta M92FS is a handgun that's chambered for the 9x19mm cartridge. Each magazine contains fifteen cartridges, and I have 5 mags, not counting the one already in the firearm. It also has a silencer, since eliminating the enemy as quietly as possible will most likely keep me alive much longer than using regular firearms. The Beretta also has a flashlight attachment, but I probably won't be using it that much. Using the light will make me an instant target in the dark, but it will come in handy for thorough searching and for temporarily blinding the enemy. I held the gun in my hands, looked at it for a minute, and chambered a round into it. I was in a hostile environment after all, and this is the only firearm that I have. I might as well be prepared to shoot at anything. I then put the handgun back into the holster on my right hip.

After checking my equipment, I'd also come up with a list of missing items that were in my pack. One is my submachine gun, a firearm that was supposed to be my primary weapon. The second are extra ammunition for my firearms. The third are grenades. The fourth, rations. The fifth, the night vision goggles. And finally, the Laser Designator.

No food meant that I had to hunt for it. That's not much of a problem, it's just that hunting would be time and energy consuming, but at least I didn't have a time limit for this mission, or at least I didn't think so. But the problem is the damn laser thingy. I'd need that thing to lace the enemy base so the Navy boys piloting the jets can bomb the base. Somehow, I didn't think that jumping around frantically while yelling "The base is over there!" over the radio while hoping to be caught by one of our satellites is a good alternative. I'd have to come up with something much better if I can't find the Designator.  

The sub gun, extra ammo and grenades would make combat easier, but I can always rob the enemies' corpses. They won't need them anyway, that is, after I've taken them out.

Without the NVG, I'd be operating more carefully and slowly in the dark. Even without the goggles, I'd be able to continue my work even in darkness, but I guess being able to see in the dark clearly without alerting my presence to anyone would have been nice.

After analyzing my current situation, I fired up the radio to call HQ.

"Kahuna to HQ, Kahuna to HQ, over." I said. As always, no names were to be given on the radio. Kahuna was my handle for this mission. I've went by several "interesting" names, like Boomer, Specter, Jester, Whiskey or Pluto, but what the hell is a Kahuna anyway? I think it's some sort of animal. Next thing you know, they'll probably call me "Rainbow" or something fruity.

"This is HQ. We read you loud and clear, Kahuna. Report on your current situation." A female voice replied. I didn't know who the voice belonged to, but it's probably from a female intelligence officer from 73rd platoon, or "funny" platoon, as just about every Special Forces soldiers call them. Women still have a long way to go in the Special Forces community.

"I've made a clean insertion into hostile territory, but due to some mishap, I've lost some of my gear, and more specifically, the ability to call in the heavy artillery." I said. I wanted to keep communications as short and cryptic as possible, despite the slim chances of someone intercepting my communications with HQ due to some sort of advanced technology. I was never that keen with high-tech stuff.

"We understand. Can you still complete the mission?" She replied. Gee, I'm fine, thank you very much. 

"Yes. There's still a good chance of recovering my missing gear." If the word "good" is the same thing as "slim", I probably need to read books again.

"OK. Just concentrate on one thing at a time. You're current mission is to search the western forest for enemy activity. Search and eliminate all of them." She said.

"I hear you. Kahuna out." No sense in dragging this conversation for too long. Besides, I knew what to do already. And with that, I set off for work. There's no time to enjoy the sights, I only had time for the mission. Plenty of problems kept on popping in my mind, but a little walk should help clear my head.

**End of Chapter 2**


	3. Survival

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

**Chapter 3: Survival**

My first day here so far had been very uneventful. After consulting the map, I had been wandering off towards the east, since I'm currently in the western part of the forest. There's supposed to be a town east of my current location, but it will take at least two or three days of traveling day and night to reach it. Besides, I'm supposed to check the western forest first. The town had no bearing on my mission, unless the enemy had a base there, which was "highly unlikely", according to intelligence.

During the day, I've seen a bunch of things, like streams, trees, vines, bushes, waterfalls, rivers, and many others. If I was walking around like a happy camper, I'd probably enjoy the sights, but I was too busy keeping an eye out for things that are out of the ordinary, like footprints, food wrappers, anything that's out of place. So far, no luck on that. Half of me wanted this peace, so I can relax for once. The other half wanted me to find something unusual right away, since after all, I can't finish this damn mission if I can't even find the enemy. 

It was getting late already, and darkness soon fell. I intended to keep going even in the dark, but I was extremely hungry. I know, it's my fault, because I didn't bother to look for food during the day. I saw a deer earlier, but I decided to ignore it, since I can probably find more food later on. That was really dumb of me.

While I was thinking of ways to kick myself for my laziness, I came upon a stream. I smiled. I then took out my Beretta, and pointed the firearm at the water. I turned on the torch on my handgun, and kept pointing it at the water. In less than a minute, a big fish showed up near the bright spot since fish are attracted to light sources during nighttime. I immediately grabbed the fish with my right hand, but I had to use my other hand as a support since the fish was struggling. I then bashed the fish's head into a nearby rock, and shortly afterwards, it stopped moving. Hello dinner.

Since I'm in hostile territory, I didn't want to start any fires for fear of attracting unwanted attention from anyone. I already risked myself by using the light mounted on my handgun, but it was for a good cause, and it didn't take too long. In short, I had to eat the fish raw. I held the fish with both hands, and took a bite at its midsection. While I was chewing the meat, I felt the sharp bones, so I spit out the inedible part, and continued eating the fish. In five minutes, I managed to eat most of the fish's midsection. I was full and ready to move on. I wiped the blood off my lips, and discarded the fish.

With the extra energy from my meal, I continued my journey. I had no trouble navigating my way because the moon was out. It provided enough light for me to see where I was going. Suddenly, I heard footsteps! To be more precise, I heard someone stepping on leaves. I quickly hid behind a tree, my back facing the trunk. With my woodland camo and the darkness, I should be able to blend in well, as long as I don't move. Any slight movement will attract anyone's attention, even in darkness. 

I then waited. And waited. It didn't take long for someone to show up. I couldn't see them, but I could hear them. In fact, I heard snippets of their conversation.

"Shimatta (Damn it)! We lost her!" Someone said.

"Way to go, old man. I thought that we are hot on her trail…" Someone replied. The first speaker sounded like someone in his mid-thirties, while the second one sounded like a teenager. 

"…we were." the adult interrupted. "Now, we're back to where we started. I admit that she managed to give us the slip. She could be anywhere by now." 

"Why are we going after her again?" The boy asked with an irritating tone.

"How many times do I have to tell you? She's a toubousha (runaway). It is the law that she must be caught and punished..." 

"…by killing her? That sounds dumb." The boy interrupted. 

"Because if we let her go, she can divulge our secrets to anyone she meets outside of our clan." The adult said. The word "clan" already tipped me off that these people were most likely ninjas of that Mugen Tenshin Clan. Besides, they sounded Japanese, not Russian.

"Oh. I see."

"She has eluded and killed every assassin that our leader has sent. Stay alert. We should meet the others shortly." The adult said.

I finally saw them. I shifted my eyes to the left, and saw two people, all clad in black. Their faces were covered, and they had katanas strapped to their backs. They were walking slowly, and they made so little noise while doing so. "Yup, definitely ninjas. I don't see any firearms on them." I thought. So old fashioned, yet still as dangerous as a man with a firearm. They were a few meters to my left, but they didn't see me. I hope it stays that way.

"By the way, we should watch out for those gaijin (foreigners) wandering around the forest." The adult said.

"Oh, them? What do they want?" The boy asked.

"Who knows, but they seem to want trouble. They are armed with guns, and they've been prowling around the forest. Even some of our fellow ninjas have clashed with them from time to time."

"What do we do when we see them? We're supposed to be looking for this girl and…"

"Simple. We eliminate them. We don't allow armed men walking around our own territory like they own it. I know it's not part of what we were sent to do, but killing those fools should make life easier for us."

"Hai (Yes). If you say so."

I absorbed everything I heard in their conversation. At least those terrorists are around here, somewhere. It's just a matter of finding them. They were also talking about someone, a girl, who they are chasing after. She's probably a traitor to their clan. That info had nothing to do with my mission, so I filed it somewhere in the back of my mind, incase that info might be useful later on. I waited until I couldn't see and hear them anymore before moving out of my spot. To be honest, I didn't want to fight these ninjas, because I'll be fighting with one hand tied behind my back. I can't kill them; I can only use non-lethal force. Well, it's still better to avoid them altogether. Now, let's get back to work.

**End of Chapter 3**

Well, if there are any mistakes in the Japanese language (and later on, the Russian language), please don't hesitate to correct me. I am not fluent in any of these languages, so please don't yell at me when you correct me.


	4. Reconnaissance

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

I might as well reply to the people who are kind enough to review my work.

To Gouki: Thanks. Yes, Bayman will appear sooner or later. That's all I'm saying. ^_^

To Dark Samarian: Thank you very much. Every little encouragement helps.

To ??: Nope. This isn't an SI(Self-Insertion, if I'm not mistaken). The main character is actually a main character of another game, but I'm only borrowing his appearance and background. He will remain nameless until much later. I'll be dropping hints here and there. In fact, Chapter 1 has a small hint(Hint* He's Half-Russian/Half Japanese*Hint).

To the rest of the people who read this fanfic: I know you're out there. Thanks for reading my work and I encourage you to post your reviews. All reviews, even flames, are accepted. ^_^ If you're going to flame me or say something that you don't like about my fanfic, please be detailed and specific. Reviews like "Your fic suxxorz!!!!!" or "Go hang yourself!" will just give me a laugh. 

**Chapter 4: Reconnaissance**

It was now morning, and the sun slowly made its appearance. I was thinking about what food to eat when it suddenly appeared right in front of me.

A snake fell down a tree, fully aware of my presence, and made threatening noises at me. It was only a few meters in front of me, which was a little too close for comfort. I froze in my tracks.

"Fucking snake." I muttered. It hissed back in reply. I saw its teeth, and thank goodness it had no fangs, so I'll be dealing with a non-poisonous snake.

Normally, I'd take out my knife to try and cut this scaly bastard down, but as I said earlier, it's currently aware of my presence. I was feeling rusty with my shooting, since I haven't fired my weapon yet in this mission. Because of this, I decided to take the easy way out. I quickly pulled out my Beretta, took aim, and gently pulled the trigger.

"Pffttt." The Beretta said, as it discharged a 9x19mm cartridge. Because of the silencer, the sound was miniscule, and if people within the vicinity do hear it, they'll rarely associate it with the sound of a firearm.

"Eeeek!" The snake yelped, as the bullet hit it between its eyes. So much for being rusty! The sound of skin being torn up was heard, and blood was splattered all over the ground, as the snake fell down. It shook around a bit, before finally expiring.

I quickly took out my knife and decapitated its head. It might seem like overkill for many people, but snakes can still bite you even after death because of reflex action. This snake wasn't poisonous, but I'll be damned if it gets a piece of me. I'd rather get shot rather than be bitten by a snake.

I grabbed the remaining part of the snake, and took one long look at it. Many thoughts went into my mind, and none of them were good. This will be the first time that I'll be eating raw snake. Again, no fires for cooking food are allowed, or risk getting gang raped. I then took a quick bite at its mid-section.

"Hmm. Tastes just like salty chicken." I thought. Yeah, just keep telling yourself that.

I took another bite, and kept on going. "Snakes: high in calories, *crunch* proteins, *crunch* and vitamins. Yum yum." I said in between bites.

After a few minutes, I've had enough. I buried the snake under some dead leaves, and went on my way. Suddenly, nature decided that I needed a shower.

It then started raining. The water poured down very hard. I didn't notice the dark clouds forming during my encounter with the snake. Well, at least the rain and the slight darkness will help keep me concealed from detection. The problem is it'll also be hard to detect the enemy.

After a few hours walking along muddy paths, I was wrong. There on the mud in front of me, I spotted several footprints. "Yep. Definitely made by boots, and made by more than one person." I said.

I followed the boot prints, and sure enough, I also found the owners.

They were at least two hundred meters ahead of me. They were going east, so I sneaked my way parallel of their position to the south. I did my best to move quickly, but silently, while trying to keep them in sight. I then hid inside a bunch of bushes, after checking it for wildlife, since I didn't want snakes or anything to bite me while hiding in the bushes. They were far from me, but I can see them.

I took out my binoculars, and zoomed in on their location. There were five of them. They wear wearing balaclavas to conceal their faces. They were also wearing "Leaf" camouflage, similar to my woodland camo, except that mine had splotches of dark green, brown, and black, while theirs had light green added. They were also wearing black vests, but I wasn't sure if they were bullet-proof or just regular vests. And of course, they were heavily armed, with weapons ranging from AK-47's to Mini-Uzis. Also, one of them was carrying a shotgun, probably a Mossberg. This five-man patrol group can take on anyone from long to close range. The point man is watching the front, the ones in the middle were watching the sides, and the last man was watching the back. Now, how can I eliminate them silently if they've got all sides covered? I'll have to wait for an opportunity. Besides, I'm only armed with a handgun.

"These are definitely the Russian Terrorists." I thought. Hell, I'd never mistake them for the ninjas that I saw earlier. To be honest, I wasn't given enough description of these terrorists during my briefing and when I was making initial plans for this mission, but really, I'm 99% sure that these are the people that I'm looking for. To make it 100%, all I had to do was listen in on their conversations, which was not necessary.

Because of my observations, I failed to notice them changing their direction. They suddenly went south, directly towards me, while I was identifying them. I stored my binocs, took out my Beretta, and lay in the prone position. I was well hidden inside the thick bushes, and hopefully, they don't pass through them. I didn't want to take them on when they were still together. I'd get my ass shot after taking out one guy.

The good news is, they didn't pass through the bushes, and they went around it instead. The bad news is, one guy decided to hang around, directly in front of me. He didn't see me, which was good, but I had a bad feeling about this.

"Ohhh! If I don't go now, I'll have to go in my pants!" The terrorist said. Shit.

Sure enough, I heard him fumbling the buttons in his pants, and shortly afterwards, a stream of warm, yellowish water became visible, and it landed directly on top of my head.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why does this shit happen?" I thought, as the urine kept on pouring. I closed my eyes, and gripped my Beretta as hard as I could.

"Tovarish (Comrade)! What's the hold-up?" Another terrorist, probably a few meters away, said.

"Give me one minute! Maybe two." The peeing terrorist replied.

"Oh. I see. Hurry up then. You should have let it go in your pants. It is raining, after all."

"Shut up! Ohhh, I think I'm almost done."

Good. If it weren't for the rain, I'd be shooting your balls off right about now. The warm liquid went all over my face, and I even tasted some of it. I wanted to spit, but that will have to wait.

"Ohh yeah! Much better!" The fucking guy said.

"Khoroshee (Good). Let's go!"

"Da (Yes). I feel much better now."

"You won't be feeling much better once I put a bullet through your head, you fucking asshole." I thought. I waited for at least five minutes, and when I was sure that no one was near me, I stood up, spat two times, and looked up into the sky. I wiped my face with my hand, as the rain gently washed the poisonous crap all over my face. With that, I then formulated a plan to take these fuckers out.

**End of Chapter 4**


	5. Silent Takedown

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

Gouki: _…._

Clutch'd: Thanks for reviewing my work several times! I'll reply to your reviews by chapters.

Clutch'd Chapter 1: I've read tons of stories where the known characters are usually the main focus so I've decided to make a first person point of view fanfic from an unknown character's POV just to be unique. In my story, people will be able to see some of the characters from DOA in someone else's point of view. And the main character in my story isn't really original, since as I've mentioned earlier, he is a main character in another game. I'm only borrowing his appearance, background and other things, because I thought that he could fit in well with the story. But his personality is being made up on the go; so hopefully, I don't screw up with this aspect. The main character will be revealed sooner or later, and I'll even be kind enough to say what game he belongs to if no one finds out by then.

Clutch'd Chapter 2: Yes, I've noticed the big gap between paragraphs, but they look OK when I type them. They just look screwy when I upload them. Hmm.

Clutch'd Chapter 3: Well, it's a survival situation after all. You have to eat whatever's available. Expect to see more detailed hunting/eating of more animals, ranging from squirrels to rabbits. ^__^

Clutch'd Chapter 4: Yep. I'm definitely laughing. As for the snake, well, they're good sources of vitamins, minerals, and calories, so they'll make good food for you. ^_^ Yes, the terrorists are gay…just joking. I used "gang raped" in that sentence to mean being surrounded. When I wrote that down, I didn't think of it in a sexual way. _ Finally, for the urinating part, my fanfic will be very dark and mature, but I'd like to add some humor here and there. Again, thank you very much for reviewing my work! Good luck with your projects as well.   

**Chapter 5: Silent Takedown**

A good plan is always a plan that's very simple, so there would be less screw-ups if things go wrong. I'd kept watching the patrol, and I've noticed one thing: they don't look up that much. They were always occupied with looking straight ahead or at the ground, probably because of wild animals, like snakes. With that, my plan was very simple: attack from above.

When the patrol started going to the south, I was able to find a tree due south of their position that was surrounded by vines. I then climbed on top of the tree, thanks to the vines surrounding the trunk, and crouched on top of a sturdy branch. Even if the enemy did look up, they might not notice me because of the darkness and continuous raining. As I took out my silenced Beretta and readied myself, the enemies were in sight.

"100 meters…" I said. I can shoot at them right now, but I decided to wait until they got to within 50 meters, since this is my weapon's effective range. Any more than that, and I might have to waste more ammo.

Things looked much brighter when the point man motioned to the guy behind him to move to their east, while the rest of them move south. The way I saw it, that single terrorist would be moving parallel to the main patrol's position. Shortly afterwards, there was a gap between the two guys in the rear and the two guys up front. The pairs are still too close to their respective partners, but it was good enough. The rear guys are to my northwest, while the front guys are directly straight ahead. 

"50 meters…" I said. I then aimed my handgun at the rear guys, and settled on the head of the guy to the far left. I then gently squeezed the trigger.

"Pfffttt."

The bullet tore through the side of the head, as blood splattered all over the ground, then the terrorist fell to the ground without even yelling in pain. 

The man near him probably heard the sound of a bullet tearing through skin, so he looked back at his partner and froze in terror, the back of his head presenting an opportunity for me.

"Thank you for making my job easier." I said. I then aimed for his head, and fired another round.

"Pffttt."

Almost the same result. The bullet hit the back of his head, and he fell down without making too much noise, blood flowing freely out of the bullet wound.

I was excited, and shifted my sights on the guys straight ahead, but they were very close to me. I'd say about 10 meters. And no matter how simple my plan was, shit still managed to happen.

A strong gust of wind hit me, and I lost my balance. I fell off the tree, but I was able to hold on to the branch and still retain my weapon. Because of this, I managed to rustle some of the leaves.

"Hmmm?" The terrorist nearby said. They started looking around, searching for the noise, but thankfully, they didn't look up or see their dead comrades. I was about at least 25 feet above ground, so I wasn't visible to the enemy yet. I held on, wondering how I'm going to take them out, when I thought of something. 

"I can still shoot from here." I thought. Slowly, I removed my right hand, still hanging on to the Beretta, from the grip of the branch, and started aiming. I was able to hold on to the branch just using my left hand, but I knew that I couldn't hold on much longer. I had to take them out right now. I then aimed at the point man, but he was too close, and in a few seconds, he would be directly under me, so I shifted my aim to the guy behind him. I then fired.

"Pffft."

"Ahhhhh!" The terrorist yelled. This time, the bullet tore through his throat, which was not the body part I was aiming for. He fell down behind some bushes, and with all the noise, the point man turned around, wondering what in the hell was going on. "Shto (What)?" He dumbly asked to no one in particular.

Perfect timing! He was directly underneath me, so I just let go of my grip, and landed directly on top of him.

"Arrgghhh." He yelled, also accompanied by the sound of bones being crunched. I stayed on top of him for a few seconds, making myself as heavy as possible, and then I jumped away from him. I checked his pulse, but there was none.

"I might have broken his back, as well as his spine." I said. "I didn't think I was that heavy to kill someone like that!"

Now, there was only one guy left. He should be directly east of this position. Hopefully, I can beat him to his spot.

I ran as quickly as I can, and placed my back on a large tree. I moved my head to the left, and saw him coming straight for me. He didn't notice me as I quickly shifted back to my position. This will be easy. I holstered my Beretta, and took out my knife. Whenever I get a chance to conserve ammo, I always take it. I wasn't in the mood to waste them.

Sure enough, he passed right by me. I remained stationary, with my back resting on the trunk of the tree. He stopped a few feet in front of me just to check his rifle. With his back facing me, I couldn't resist the invitation. I slowly crept up behind him, and then grabbed his face with my left hand as hard as I could.  

"Auughhh!" He said in surprise. He dropped his rifle and tried to fend off my left hand, but it was too late for him.

I then used my knife to slit his throat. As I made the motion to cut his throat, he yelled some more, but it was drowned out by the sound of him gurgling his own blood. As the blade made its way through his throat, blood flowed freely. He fell down face first, and more blood started pouring out of the wound, covering the head area. Messy, but it gets the job done. 

I surveyed my work, and I was pleased, somewhat. The good news is: I've eliminated a five-man patrol team silently. The bad news: I never found out who took a piss on me earlier. Fuck, this, shit. Well, if I did find out who it was, I would have been happy to empty my handgun at his crotch. At least it saved me from wasting ammo.

"Terrorists: 0. The moron who was sent here all alone: 5." I said. I generally kept count of my kills early on, but I usually lost count when the mission entered its late stage.

I then checked the dead bodies for some booty. I decided to pick up an AK-47 from the guy I just used my knife on. This rifle has been around for quite a long time. It is reliable, but very inaccurate when firing in full-auto, so I'd better fire in short bursts to maintain some accuracy. I grabbed some more ammo for the AK, and examined the rifle carefully. It looks like the AK is Russian made, not one of those copies made by the Chinese. Well, these are Russian terrorists, after all. Why settle for a copy when you can get a genuine one? The Uzi and the Mossberg were also good weapons, but I decided to stick to the AK. It doesn't have a silencer, so it won't be my primary weapon of choice. I'll still use my Beretta first, then switch to the AK when things get ugly.

I also grabbed a radio from one of the dead guys. It should come in handy for listening in to enemy radio chatter. My current radio is only used for long-range communications, while the enemy's radio has a limited range. I checked the frequency, and decided to leave it as it is. Suddenly, the enemy radio started to send a message.

"Our patrol didn't find anything here, how about yours?" I did not reply. There was another patrol? Maybe I could pretend to be one of them, but I just stood there, staring at the radio.

"What's going on? Respond!" Oh no…

"Communications with Patrol C have ceased. We will carry out an investigation immediately." The radio went dead. Shit.

**End of Chapter 5**


	6. Jungle Warfare

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

Clutch'd: I'd rather give hints throughout the story, but I'll make an exception for you. He's a main character in a gothic RPG. That's all I'm saying. ^_^ I think that's more than enough clue for anyone who knows which RPG I'm talking about.

Gouki: That is an important side note! You are correct; the AK-47 can only fire in single shot or full-auto. I was probably thinking of the AK-74 (which can be fired in 3-shot bursts) when I was typing this up. Anyway, this error has been corrected. Thanks a lot!

**Chapter 6: Jungle Warfare**

"Understood," A very authoritative voice responded on the radio. "Exercise extreme caution. It could be those ninjas. They've been sending more patrols over there recently." So, they were actively searching for ninjas, and vice versa. What were they planning? Capture them? Wipe them all out? Or maybe just take their land away from them?

Ahhh, there's no time to waste! I scrambled immediately to prepare for an upcoming attack. It stopped raining, and the sky was clearing up, which was bad because I will be more visible to the enemy, but at least I should be able to spot them easily as well. My initial plan is to perhaps do the same thing that I did to demolish the earlier patrol; but somehow, I had less confidence about reusing the same tactic. The enemy will be aware of my presence, but they won't know where I am yet, so maybe it will work. I took out the mag from the AK and looked at it. The mag was still full, and I slapped it back into the rifle and chambered a round into it. I stowed the AK away by putting it on my back, and went back to work.

I grabbed some more ammo for the AK, some frags, and whatever seemed important as well. I then decided to hide the dead bodies so that the patrol won't find them and be on alert. It was a little bit hard to do so because of the mud, and also because I had to cover up the traces after rearranging the furniture. I carried one body and hid him inside some thick bushes. The next guy, I decided to dump him inside a crevice. For the third guy, I also wanted to dump him inside some bushes, as I grabbed him by his legs. As I started dragging him, I heard a twig being snapped. I looked straight ahead, and there was a terrorist, holding an AK, looking at me with his eyes wide open. Well, now that I thought about it, it did look like I was humping a dead guy with the way I was holding him. It would have been a funny sight, but he was in no mood to laugh, and neither was I.

"What is this?" He asked. But before he could raise his rifle, I already dropped the body and ran in the opposite direction. I ran as fast as I could, and dove behind a dead log lying horizontally on the ground. I took out my AK, since things will definitely get ugly from now on. So much for plan A. The enemy radio suddenly sputtered some more radio chatter.

"I saw someone, but he's not a ninja. He looked like one of us, with his gear, clothing and guns, but he is definitely not one of ours because I didn't recognize his face. Plus, he was dragging the body of one of our soldiers," The guy said. That was probably the one who spotted me.

"OK. You know the drill. Search, corner and neutralize the target," The authoritative voice said. 

I waited and waited, and when I heard the sound of feet moving, I raised my head slightly to look ahead. I saw them going into position, hiding behind trees and rocks. I spotted one terrorist giving a hand signal to his team. The signal ended with his hand pointed towards my hiding spot. Suddenly, the forests of Japan will be getting one hell of a concert, complete with surround sound.

"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!" The AK spat. Bullets were flying all over the place, most of them hitting the log I was hiding behind. 

"We've found him! We're moving in to take him out!" 

"Understood. Don't let that bastard get away."

When the firing ceased for a second, I stood up from my hiding place, and returned fire.

"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!" My own AK spat back. The other terrorists then joined in on the fun.

"BRATATATAT!" The Uzi screamed, a hail of 9mm's being discharged at a very high rate pounded the area I'm in.

"THWOOOOM!" The Mossberg shotgun yelled, spraying pellets all over the place. I feel sorry for the dead log, which absorbed most of the damage.

I then raised my rifle over the log while still keeping my head down and fired wildly. Most of the time, it's better to fire your weapon even if it doesn't hit anything to prevent the enemy from just rushing in and cornering your ass. One of the terrorists then looked like he was about to play baseball with me, only that he was carrying a frag, not a baseball, and I didn't want to be the catcher.

The frag fell short, as it landed in front of the dead log. I slumped to the ground and covered my head as the grenade detonated.

"BOOOM!" The grenade thundered, and then shrapnel went all over the place. Again, the log took most of the hits. I decided then that it was too dangerous to stay in my spot, so I made a dash to the nearest tree while firing my weapon.

"RAT-A-TAT-CLICK!" The mag was dry. When I managed to reach the tree, I took out the empty mag and slapped a new one into the rifle. I took a peek, and saw only two terrorists, still firing their weapon.

"I know what they're planning. The two guys are shooting to provide cover while the rest move in to try and flank my ass." I thought. The question is, where were those three? I looked around, and took a nice fucking guess at where they were. There was a big rock north west of my hiding place, so I tested my hunch. I took out my own frag, pulled the pin, and tossed one. The grenade landed behind the rock, as I intended, and it detonated. I then heard screams of pain and agony.

"Nice," I thought. I then took a peek at the rock from my hiding place, but I saw one terrorist crouched low on the ground, dragging himself towards the guys still firing. He looked pretty messed up. He had an ugly wound just under his neck.

"Oh no you don't," I said. I popped out of my hiding place and sprayed him with rifle rounds.

"Auughhh," He yelled, as the bullets tore through his torso. He slumped to the ground, and never moved again.

Hopefully, the others with him were taken out by the blast, but I had no time to check as the two terrorists providing cover for their dead pals suddenly charged towards me, weapons still being discharged. I ran out of my hiding place, and saw a stream nearby. I ran towards it, and almost slipped as my feet touched the water. I spotted a rock and hid behind it, still ready to pull the trigger. The radio suddenly spat some more chatter. 

"We have him cornered by the stream, but we've lost three men! Send additional personnel."

"Nyet (No), we cannot spare any more troops. They are currently occupied right now. You have to go after him yourselves." The radio then went dead.

"You guys are fucked," I yelled, still hiding behind the rock. "My sobaka (dog) can shoot much better than that! It's time to lay off the vodka, comrades."

They didn't reply. Instead, they let their firearms do the talking. Good. It's always nice to yell insults here and there, as long as you have the upper hand. At least, I think I had it. As the bullets struck the rock I was using for cover, I waited for an opportunity to strike back. When the firing stopped, it was reloading time for them. That was my cue to pop out of my hiding place. I already had my rifle pointed and ready to shoot, while they were still fumbling for their spare mags. I emptied a short burst into one guy, then another into the final terrorist. All shots went cleanly into their torsos. They both screamed in unison, and fell into the stream almost at the same time. The fight was over, for now.

I just stood there, looking at the stream, when it started turning red. The blood from the two terrorists coated the stream, and now, I was mesmerized by the sight of the red water.

"Cool," I said.

**End of Chapter 6**

Author's note: Next chapter, someone from DOA will finally make an appearance! YAY! Thank you for waiting, everyone.


	7. The Runaway Chick

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

Author's note: As always, thanks for the reviews, everyone!

**Chapter 7: The Runaway Chick**

"Finally, I get to eat some real food. Well, food that isn't raw anyway," I said. After the firefight, I was able to search and rob the dead bodies of the terrorists more thoroughly. I managed to snatch more ammo for the AK, grenades, and some good old rations, but the most important thing that I found was a map. The map was similar to mine, except that it had a big "X" slapped in one of the parts of the western forest. I'm betting that it's probably their base, most likely just a forward base. The main enemy base, my final target of destination, was still far from my current position. But before thinking about the last part of the mission, I'd better take care of the early parts first. So my current destination is the "X" spot on the map.

After robbing the corpses, I continued my journey. It was uneventful, besides calling HQ and telling them about the progress of my mission, and the day went by really fast, as well as the night. As the sun started rising slowly, I decided to take a break and have a nice meal. I sat behind a tree, my back resting on its trunk, and took out a ration. Well, rations suck compared to fast-food or home cooking, but still better than hunting and eating native animals. "Hmmm. Salisbury steak," I said, while opening the package. I could hear the sound of a waterfall from a distance, but that was it. Other than that, it was quiet. I could probably enjoy my food for once.

I was about to use my fork to eat the food, when I heard splashes of water. I knew that there was a waterfall nearby, but the sound that I heard was definitely different from the sound made by the waterfall. Curiosity overrode my hunger, so I moved closer to the location of the waterfall. When it was visible, but still quite a distance away, I took out my binoculars to survey the area. I focused on top of the waterfall, which, after seeing nothing, moved to the bottom. There, I was surprised by what I saw.

"Wha? What is this?" I said. I lowered the binocs and blinked several times. I could swear that I saw a chick taking a bath under the waterfall.

"Oh God, the lack of sleep is starting to get to me. There are no hot chicks in forests!" I said.

I looked again at that spot, and there she was, naked, and without a care in the world. 

"OMG! WTF! There's a HAWT, HAWT CHICK in here!" I thought. Damn message boards and chat rooms for making me think in elite talk sometimes. "Ah, now I remember what I forgot to bring. Some dirty mags! Well, the view here will make up for that."

I watched her closely while eating my meal. I couldn't tell what her height was because the water was covering half her body. I can't even tell if she's standing or sitting down. She had long orange-red hair, and she had a very, very cute face. "Definitely Japanese," I said, while munching on my food. I think her eyes are brown, but the water is obscuring my view on that. She also had, um, a nice, big pair of hooters. "WHOOOT! WHOOOOT!" I screamed inside my dirty head.

Right now, she had her back turned to me and was washing her hair. I was pretty much multi-tasking right now, with my eyes focused on her, with my left hand holding on to the binocs, and with my right hand holding the fork so I can continue eating. To be not so honest, I wouldn't know what my right hand would be doing if it wasn't busy.

I was thinking of very unprofessional thoughts right now. I thought about jumping into the water, saying hi to her, and then we kiss and make out. "Well, life is not a porn movie," I thought. "These things never happen in real life."

I kept watching and munching, and I saw some things that I didn't notice earlier: One, she had scars all over her body. Some were old, some were fresh. "How did she get those? Are there too many horny guys wanting a piece of her?" I thought.

Two, she was very skinny. She didn't look like a healthy young girl to me. "She's probably just trying to survive in these forests, just like me."

And three, she had a sad look on her face. Ever since I started watching her, she never once smiled. She's probably down on her luck or something.

"Wait a minute, could she be that runaway chick that those guys were talking about?" I thought. Well, she didn't look like a ninja to me. A Playboy model, probably. A ninja, no.

It took me a few minutes, but I was able to move the binoculars away from her to look at her surroundings. After all, she must have some clothes or stuff with her, unless she liked going through forests naked. In record time, I found some of her stuff not far away from her. The first thing that I saw were her clothes. It was color blue, and it looked like some sort of robe or kimono. Well, it's not the same clothing as the ninjas, who were clad in black. Next thing were her panties. I didn't want to focus on those too much, but I was somewhat disturbed, or excited, I don't know, when I didn't see any bras. Finally, there was a short sword right next to her clothes. It was shorter than a katana that the ninjas were carrying earlier. It's probably a Tanto or a Wakizashi or an oversized combat knife. In short, I don't fucking know. I know a lot about firearms, but not melee weapons. Still, I wasn't sure if she's a ninja or not.  

I thought the short sword was the last possession that she had, but I was wrong. Looking at the tree next to her items, I saw a very familiar, yet hard to see object.

"Hey! It's my backpack!" I thought. Yep, it's my pack, alright. It's been MIA since my insertion. It's definitely mine because of the Woodland Camo pattern on the pack. It didn't matter how she got that, what mattered now was in retrieving my stuff. I was seriously thinking of leaving her alone, but this changed everything. 

I stowed my binocs and finished my meal. After disposing the package containing my food, I took out my Beretta and slowly worked my way towards her stuff. Hopefully, I don't have to use my weapon against her. "It's just a snatch and grab. No big deal. Just do it," I thought. 

When I almost reached her stuff, she was now in the middle of the stream, much closer to her things, her back facing me. She was now splashing her face with water.  I was hoping that she would stay just under the waterfall, but it was OK since she wasn't facing her stuff. I was about to reach for my pack, when she suddenly stopped washing her face. "Nani (What)?" She said in a surprised, sweet voice. She then turned around, quite surprised to see a heavily-armed young man wearing camo, a.k.a., me. I froze. My left hand was reaching for my pack; my right hand held on to my silenced handgun; and my eyes were all over her.

Surprisingly, I started thinking about jumping into the water, saying hi to her, kissing her and making out with her. "Life is not a porn movie," I thought yet again. "It just sucks." 

**End of Chapter 7**


	8. Awkward Moments

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

**Chapter 8: Awkward Moments**

Thank goodness my instincts took over. Hot chick or not, she's a potential threat. I quickly raised my pistol with both hands and pointed it at her. "Hyouketsu (Freeze)!" I yelled. I took a step forward, feeling good. My professionalism was restored, somewhat. All the dirty thoughts that I had previously were shoved back deep into my mind for later use. I had all the advantage over her. She was naked, and appeared to be very vulnerable. Well, a naked man is an unarmed man, but in this case, it's a naked chick.

She covered her breasts first before complying. She looked at me with scared eyes. "Ho-rudoappu (Hands up)! Do it!" I followed up. She looked at me with her eyes wide open, as if to say "Are you fucking nuts?" I then realized the stupidity of my command, so I nullified it. "Never mind that. Just don't make any sudden moves, or else."

About a minute passed, and I was still thinking about what I should do next, when she broke the silence. "Dochirasama (Who are you)?" She asked.

"Ooi (Hey)! I'm the one in charge here, so I'm supposed to be asking the questions!" I replied. Just to emphasize my point, I re-aimed my weapon, producing a clicking sound. 

"Well?" She said.

"Well what?" I replied. This was not going well.

"Aren't you going to ask me anything?" 

"Komaka (Fine). Who are you? And what are you doing here?" I finally asked. I didn't get the answers, though.

"I asked a question first. It might be polite to answer mine first." She said. Who the hell does she think she is? I'm the man with the gun here.

I decided to comply, anyway. It might open her up a little bit more. "I'm a rurousha (nomad). I travel all over the world." Well, the more vague, the better.

"Nesupa (Really)? What are you doing with that thing on your hands?" She said, staring at the barrel of my Beretta.

"Oh, this? I hunt animals to survive with this," I said. The look on her face said it all. She wasn't buying my story.

"I don't think you are familiar with the rules of Japan," She said. "Firearms are forbidden." She got me there.

"Let's just say that I'm allowed to have them. It makes hunting much easier, right?" Shit. I should have come up with a much convincing story before my mission started.

"Well, if you say so." She then rolled her eyes. She's probably thinking that I'm full of shit right now.

"I've said my piece, how about you? Do you want me to repeat my questions?" I said with a commanding voice.

"You don't have to. I'm a rurousha (nomad) too. I don't have a home anymore. I'm cursed and stuck in these forests. I've been traveling here for quite some time," She said. Way to go. She copied my lead by being vague herself. 

"Interesting. Are you a ninja, by any chance?" I asked. She frowned at me, but didn't say anything. I did not know if the look on her face meant a yes or a no.

She finally replied, but she dodged my question by pummeling me with more of her own. "Why are you really here? Why are you pointing your weapon at me? I didn't do anything to you. Unless, were you trying to steal my meager possessions?"

"I'm not a kusemono (thief)," I said. Well, taking stuff from dead bodies isn't stealing, in my opinion. Besides, I only wanted my backpack back. "I only want one thing from you." This last sentence somehow didn't come out right.

She then had a look of horror on her face. I knew it. Everything I say these days just sounds dirty. "Not what you think! I only want…" I stopped midway through because she started moving backwards. "…hey! I said don't…" 

SPLASH!

That was a dumb move on my part. I was about to reassert my position by moving one step closer to her, when my right foot went too far, and touched the water instead. I wasn't looking, so I was expecting solid ground. I promptly lost my balance, and fell into the water. "How embarrassing…" I thought. I started pulling myself together, but the girl took advantage of my blunder.

She charged towards me, and gave me a sucker punch to the chest. "Oofff," I blurted out, not expecting the blow. That sure knocked the wind out of me. She then jumped towards me, and her legs grabbed my neck. It would have been a dream come true with a naked girl wrestling me while submerged in water, but it's all fun and games till someone gets hurt. Right now, I'm the one hurting. 

She then used her weight to push me back deep into the water. She was light, and I could probably have carried her easily, but I was off-balanced, so gimme a break. 

I was now struggling with her, and the air was rapidly leaving my body, with none coming back. I didn't panic because doing so would have caused me to drown easily. I just held my breath instead, and grappled with her. I was able to remove her legs from my neck, but she was still on top of me, her slim, but strong hands pushing my head as hard as she could to try and keep me submerged. I struck back, and hit whatever part of her body. I did it again, and she finally stopped struggling with me. I heard her leave the water, but I was still disoriented by her attack and lack of air. I emerged from the water and took deep breaths rapidly. I turned my head, and saw her fumbling her things, dressing up as quickly as she could. I was about to go after her, when I remembered something.

"My Beretta!" I thought. I dropped it in the water, probably during the struggle, or when I fell, but who cares? I looked around, and found it nearby. I fished the handgun out of the water, and then pointed it at the spot where she was dressing up, but she wasn't there anymore. And neither was my backpack.

"Just my luck," I said out loud. "This interrogation…is over. And I didn't even find out her name."

**End of Chapter 8**


	9. The Runaway Takes On The Whole World

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

Gouki: Can you recommend how long each chapter of my fic should be?

Clutch'd: Where are you? L

**Chapter 9: The Runaway Takes On The Whole World**

I sure made too many mistakes. First, I wasn't able to grab my pack silently. I was still wondering how she managed to notice my presence. Second, the interrogation, if you can call it that, was very pathetic. I wasn't able to take charge of the situation. And finally, she kicked my ass and got away with my stuff. This was the first time I got manhandled by a chick. It was very damaging to my psyche. Well, it's time to recover.

I was able to easily follow her because of her footprints. I was afraid that because of her light weight, she might not leave any footprints, but she was carrying my backpack, which weighed around 50 to 80 pounds at the very least. The weight of the pack showed on her footprints. I was surprised that she was able to carry something that heavy, but one thing's for sure: she'll get tired eventually. 

She tried to throw me off her trail by making bogus footprints here and there, but I could tell easily which ones will lead me to her and which ones will lead to a dead end. 

It was now afternoon, and the sun was slowly sinking. I've been chasing her since morning. I wasn't tired yet, but I think that I still have a long way to go. Her footprints led to a stream, but I easily spotted the rest of the set at the other end. I slowly placed my left foot in the water, and checked for any signs of dangerous animals hanging around. Seeing none, I continued moving, the water reaching my knees. Suddenly, I heard loud splashes from a distance.

"Hmmm?" I said. I located the source, which was to my left. I turned in the general direction, and continued hearing splashes. "Definitely made by several people, or animals." 

Suddenly, I could make out figures moving through the stream, and they were coming straight for me. "Wolves!" I said. I quickly took out my AK and fired my weapon at the incoming pack of hostile puppies.

"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!" The AK bellowed. I held the trigger, and continued firing non-stop, ignoring the recoil of the weapon. Bullets were flying everywhere, as the bullets made the water splatter all over the place. I managed to take out several of them, but the survivors weren't deterred by my attack, and they continued coming towards me at full speed.

"CLICK!"

"Ugghh!" I grunted. The mag was dry, and I didn't bother reloading as they were almost upon me.

"FUCK…THIS!" I then turned around and ran as fast as I could. The water made it somewhat difficult for me, and I did my best to avoid slipping and becoming a meal for these hungry wolves.

I ran and ran, not looking back at all, when I reached the end of the stream. I was on top of a waterfall, and I didn't think twice about what I was going to do. I took two powerful steps, and jumped as high as I could. I took a dive, and saw how far the bottom of the waterfall was.

"AAAHHHHHHH!" I yelled. Who gives a shit if someone heard me? I'll yell if I want to. Hopefully, the depth isn't shallow, or I'll end up dead.

It seemed to take forever, but I finally reached the bottom. I made a loud splash, and I did hit the soil below the water, but the water absorbed most of my impact, and I didn't take as much damage. I rested there for a few seconds, and then I moved up. I looked at my surroundings, and the wolves were nowhere to be found. I guess they didn't have the guts to jump after me. Well, that was a nice dive.

**********

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than be skilled. By jumping off the waterfall, I was able to take a shortcut, and found fresh tracks, definitely made by her. I continued my hunt. It was now night time.

I knew that I was very close to her. I could feel it. Plus, I could smell her scent in the air. It smelled really nice.

Suddenly, I heard gunshots straight ahead.

"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!"

"BRATATATAT!"

AK and Uzi sounds filled the air. "Oh great, it's them," I said, referring to the terrorists, but who where they shooting at? The radio chatter intercepted by the enemy radio that I picked up earlier answered my question.

"We're under attack!" The terrorist said. I could barely make out what he said because of the gunfire in the background.

"…Ninja!" Well, I heard that one clearly. I think the ninjas were attacking the terrorists, but this terrorist only said "Ninja", so maybe it's just that girl? After all, her tracks lead to the sounds.

The rest of the radio chatter was very hard to understand, as gunfire erupted. I ran towards the source of the sounds, but as I got closer, the sounds were slowly fading, until everything went silent.

When I reached the source, I was very surprised. Lying in front of me were the remains of a five-man patrol team. They were messed up pretty bad. One terrorist had an ugly wound just under his chest; the other had lost his right arm, and the arm was just nearby, still clutching the AK; the other had his throat slit. The other two were bleeding non-stop, their hearts obviously stabbed by a sharp weapon. One of the terrorists was still alive.

I moved towards him, and kneeled down. He slowly opened his eyes, staring at me. "Zdravstyeh (Hello)," I said.

"Who are you?" he asked.

I dodged the question. "Who did this?" I countered.

He was near death, and it took him time to answer. "A zhenshchina (woman) attacked us. She seemed normal at first, but we quickly identified her as a ninja. She…slaughtered all of us. We were careless…"

"I can see that," I replied, looking back at his dead buddies. What really happened here? Was this just a case of carelessness, because they encountered a hot chick and let their guards down, or was she really that good? She easily demolished a five-man patrol team too quickly, although she didn't really eliminate them silently because she let them make too much noise. Will I be able to match up to her when I face her?

"Tovarich (Comrade)," The terrorist muttered. Great. He thinks that I'm one of them. Well, to some people, I look Russian, and to others, Japanese. It all varies, I guess. Blame that on my heritage. Besides, he was probably hallucinating already. "Find that bitch. Make her pay." 

"Alright. I'll go get her," I replied, playing along. As I stood up, the terrorist grabbed my arm. Apparently, he had one more thing to say.

"Comrade, I don't want to die like this," He said. "I know that there is no way to save me anymore. I want a quick death. Please, do the honors." Did I hear him right?

"You want this?" I said, pointing my silenced handgun at his head. The silencer touched his head.

"Da (Yes), pozhaluista (please). But I have one more request besides that." He then took out something from his pocket. It was a picture of a beautiful girl with long, blonde hair. "This is my sestra (sister). Her name is Petra. I haven't seen her for a long time. Please give this picture to her. It has some writing in the back just for her."

"Uhh, I don't know how to fulfill your request."

"Just give the picture to Commander Bayman." Bayman? Who the hell is he? I think I've heard that name somewhere before… "He'll know what to do."

"OK. Is that it?" I said. I guess this Bayman is their field commander or something of that capacity. Or he may be the terrorist leader. I'll find out sooner or later.

"Da (Yes). And please, just make it quick."

I knew what he was talking about. My finger then touched the trigger. "Spasiba (Thank you), tovarich (comrade)," The terrorist said. He then closed his eyes.

"Pffttt," The Beretta said, as I pulled the trigger. Blood splattered all over the tree that he was leaning into. As I withdrew my weapon, I noticed his blood on the Beretta's silencer. He then collapsed on the ground with a thud, as he joined the rest of his teammates.

The girl sure did me a favor by getting rid of these terrorists, and I even got into the action by blowing this bastard's head off. Well, sometimes I'm a heartless bastard. I pretended to be nice to this guy, but I really hate scumbags like him. Well, let's have a look at the writing at the back of this picture.  

_Dear Aleksandra,_

_            If you get this picture of you back, it means that something bad has happened to me. I'll never come home back to __Russia__ ever again. I'll miss you, and you'll no doubt miss me. I remember you giving this picture when I left for this organization. The only thing I can say about this is that I believe in their goals. We all want __Russia__ to rise again, and get rid of that democratic government by that fool Putin. We were great in numbers back then, operating all over _Europe___, but those NATO Forces, especially the __United States of America__, routed most of our forces, and we were forced to leave the continent of __Europe__. I cannot tell you where we are, but do not worry. My comrades will come back to __Europe__ sooner or later, and you will see __Russia__ rise once again. Even though I cannot join you when that happens, my comrades will. I will live on through their actions and deeds. Please don't cry. I did what I could, and once again, I believe in what we're trying to do. Good bye._

_Your brother_, _Andrei__  _

"What a saaad story," I said. Very typical of a mislead man. Terrorists always feed you bullshit like this one. So, they want Russia to become a Communist country again? Well, I remember Russia under Communist rule. I lived there back then. It was a harsh life, but I didn't give a damn. If I didn't give a damn back then, why would I give a damn about Russia right now? Well, it's not something to worry about right now.

I stowed the picture away in my pocket, and continued on. I saw her tracks again, but I noticed something else. There was blood splattered on every other step on the ground. "She's hurt. She should be close by."

********

I've found her! She was lying beside a tree, putting some bandage on her shoulder. She sustained a bullet wound, but she should be somewhat OK. Right now, I'm in the prone position behind some thick bushes, though the darkness pretty much covers my presence. The moon was out, and I can see her clearly from where I am. I've been formulating plans on how to get my pack back, but I've been hesitating too much.

"If I rush this, I could lose everything," yeah, everything pretty much means my life. This innocent looking girl was very dangerous. She may not seem like it, but I now believe that she's that runaway ninja. After all, she did demolish the patrol team earlier all by herself. 

I was about to execute my plan, when I heard footsteps, made by many people running at a fast speed. She also heard them, as she stood up and scanned her surroundings. I stayed where I was, my Beretta in hand.

Suddenly, four figures came out of nowhere, and surrounded her. They all stood right in front of her, but they kept their distance. All of them were clad in black. One of them is a female ninja because she's wearing a skirt and showing some nice set of legs. I wasn't in the mood to stare at them.

"Kasumi," One of the ninjas said. So that's her name. Very cute name. "We've found you." I recognized the speaker. Well, well, well, if it isn't Middle-Aged Man. I guess that Boy Ninja is the one to his right. I did not know who the other two were.

"Like our predecessors, whom you killed, we will offer you two choices. The first choice is for us to take you back, under your own free will, to our lair, and there, you will be executed for leaving our clan. With this option, you will die with honor and dignity. And for the second choice, you may die here, but it will be a dishonorable death, as your life will be taken away by lesser ninjas."

"Bullshit!" I thought. "You're better off going down with guns blazing, girl."

There was silence. Then she replied "And I also give you two choices. The first is for you to leave me alone, as I have done nothing wrong to our clan. The second choice is for all of you to die here. Your deaths would be meaningless." I like her attitude already.

"Yoroshii (Very well)," Middle Aged Man replied. The four ninjas suddenly drew out their weapons, the males drawing out their katanas, while the kunoichi (female ninja) drew out a pair of knives. Kasumi didn't draw out her short sword, but her right hand was holding on to the handle. She then dropped her, I mean, my pack, to the ground obviously to dump the weight and make her more mobile. The ninjas then started circling around her, looking for an opening.

Half of me wanted to help her, but half of me didn't give a damn. I didn't know who she was. All I wanted was my backpack back. Besides, I'm not allowed to kill any ninjas, so if I do fight them, I'll be fighting with one hand tied behind my back. I then decided to just stay out of this mess. She did get rid of those Russians all by herself, so I think she could handle this.

The battle started with one of the ninjas throwing some shurikens at her. She easily dodged them by jumping high into the air and disappearing into the darkness. "Shiku (Spread out)!" Middle Aged Man yelled. The four ninjas then walked stealthily in different directions, weapons ready. 

"Great, someone's coming towards me…" I thought. The ninja with a nice set of legs was indeed going towards my hiding spot. "Shit. I think she's going to check the bushes."

Fortunately, she didn't get a chance to do so. As she was about to inspect the bushes, the rogue ninja suddenly came out from above and in one quick motion, landed on top of Leggy's shoulders without sending her to the ground, and shoved her short sword into her head. "Urrrgghh!" Leggy shouted. The sickening sound of flesh being torn was heard until the blade appeared just under her chin. It stayed there for a few seconds, before Kasumi took out her sword. Blood then started spurting out of the two holes.

Kasumi then jumped, letting Leggy fall into the bushes, actually just in front of me. Her eyes were moving frantically, but she noticed me. How could she still be alive? "Hi there, cutie," I whispered to her. She then stared at me with wide open eyes, then she expired. During this time, her blood splattered all over my face, but I didn't blink at all. I was focused on the action.

Another ninja darted towards Kasumi, but she easily knocked him down by giving him a flying kick to his head. The ninja fell to the ground with a thud, his stomach facing the ground. Before he could get up, Kasumi jumped towards him, landing right on top him. She kept him pinned down to the ground, and in one swift motion, used her sword to slit his throat. Blood then started pouring out of his neck, as he shook all over the place.

"Two more to go, babe," I thought. I should be thinking of what I should do next, but I was enjoying this battle. Yes, I'm a very, very sick man for enjoying all of these.

The last two ninjas then surrounded her. She faced both of them, and was ready to take them on. One of them suddenly rushed towards her with an upward strike from his katana, but she made an attack of her own by slashing from the bottom. Her attack connected first, and there was a nasty cut on his midsection. Blood spurted all over the place, as he went down for the count. The final ninja then charged towards her while her back was facing him. When he got close, all she did was shove the sword backwards directly into his chest. The sword penetrated through the skin, and it stayed there for a few seconds. She then twisted the sword around to magnify the wound, and the sickening sound of flesh being arranged was heard. She then took her sword out, and let the lifeless ninja fall into the ground. More blood appeared when he finally reached the soil. Kasumi then stood up and inspected her work. Damn! She kicked ass, alright.

Suddenly, she dropped her weapon and started crying. Crying? But why…

"Sniff…sniff…I killed all of you…because I had no choice. Please, forgive me…sniff…" She said out loud. So, she wasn't a killer after all. She was just defending herself. She took no pleasure in killing others. She and I were very different from each other. I had no choice but to kill people also, but I enjoyed the killing. I definitely admit that. Killing people makes me feel alive. That is my purpose in life.

She then stopped crying. That was too quick. She then shouted "Nukeru (Come out)! Show yourself! Were you enjoying the view or were you just waiting for me to get tired before attacking?"

I scanned my surroundings, but saw no one else. I guess she's referring to me. It's time to see if I live through this. "Just remember, she's a ninja. Even if she's a rogue ninja, she still counts as a ninja. Therefore, because of the orders given to me, I cannot kill her," I thought. I have to pull something out of my ass quickly, or I'll be joining her victims shortly.

I wiped the blood out of my face, and then stood up, clutching my Beretta. I just want my shit back, but I have to go through her first. 

**End of Chapter 9**

Author's notes: Very, very long chapter. Was this long enough for you, Gouki? ^__^


	10. The Modern Day Ninja Clashes With His Tr...

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

Crystalline Tears: Thanks a lot! I'll update whenever possible. 

Gouki: I want to stick to at least 1500 words per chapter. Is that cool? ^_^ Also, you probably noticed that Chapter 9 was divided into three parts. Those three parts would have been three chapters instead, but I decided to put those three parts into one chapter. 

**Chapter 10: The Modern Day Ninja Clashes With His Traditional Counterpart**

Kasumi was now facing me as I slowly walked towards her. I was clutching my Beretta, but I didn't point it at her. Plan A consisted of me being a pussy and actually being diplomatic, for once. I'll see if I can sweet talk my way out of this, and get my stuff back. It's a simple plan, and if it fails, I'll go with Plan B, which is…I'll get back to you on that later on. As I got closer, the light from the moon made my appearance much clearer, and she definitely recognized me with the look on her face.

"You!" The auburn-haired girl said.

"Hi there, Kasumi," I replied. She wiped the tears from her eyes and immediately picked up her weapon. Her clothing was stained with blood, as well as her face. She did not look like the frightened, naked girl I saw earlier. She was now confident, and ready to take me on. I'd better hurry this up.

"How did you…"

"I overheard the conversation between you and the ninjas."

"So, you know what my name is. How about telling me yours?"

"Why should I?" I replied. There's no point in telling my name. Besides, I don't have one, or I used to have one before the military took me in…

"Komaka (Fine). But I know who you are! You're with those men armed with guns, right?" She said to me accusingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I work alone," I replied. I won't press this issue on which side I am. It's just a waste of time.

"You're lying! I can tell from the look in your eyes that you want revenge for the death of your friends."

"You're way off. Revenge is not what I want anyway." 

"Oh. I remember. You'll only have your sick way with me when I'm dead!" She spat. 

"Look. You didn't let me finish. You know what I want?" I then pointed at my pack lying nearby. "I just want my backpack back. That is mine, for your information."

"I don't see your name on it," she said.

"Don't be a bitch! You see the pattern on that pack? It's the same as my uniform. They're both in Woodland pattern," I said, while tugging on my shirt. The look on her face said it all. She believed my explanation, but she wasn't willing to part with her discovered possession.

"Well, it's mine now. Plus, you have some, shall we say, 'interesting' things inside your pack."

When I heard her say the word "interesting", I immediately thought that I did bring some porn with me. I was way off.

"Guns, grenades, explosives, etc. What are you planning to do? Massacre people?" She said. 

"Thanks for doing a quick inventory. Incase you didn't notice, there's a war going on right here, in these forests, right now," I replied. "Those are just my tools, OK? Look, here's the deal, if you give me my stuff back, I'll leave you alone."

"And if I don't agree?"

"Then I have to kick your ass," I smiled. "But I really don't want to do such a thing since your ass is sweet."

She then gave me the dirtiest glare that I have ever seen. Alright, enough of this crap. "Well, there is nothing more to discuss," I said, as I casually made my way to my pack. "I'll just grab my stuff and…owwww!"

I was about to reach for my pack, when a shuriken came flying by right next to my left hand. It tore through my glove and skin, and my left hand started to bleed. "Fuck, what did you do that for?"

"You didn't wait for my reply," She said while smiling.

"I think I can guess what your reply is…"

"I can't let you have your things back. I don't know what you and your friends are planning, but I don't think it's for everyone's benefit."

I looked at my bleeding hand. This was the first time I saw my own blood in this mission. Well, this won't be the last, that I'm sure. Right now, I'm very angry, and I have to resolve this conflict ASAP. Screw diplomacy. Plan B starts right now, which is to kick her ass without killing her. As to how I'm supposed to do that, I'll make it up as this shit goes along.

I held the Beretta with two hands and pointed it at her head. "Hands up! Do it! Get down on the ground," I yelled.

"What makes you think I'll listen to your commands?" she replied. Trying to act all tough on me, huh?

"Are you eight years old or what? Just do it!"

She didn't reply anymore, but she slowly walked towards me, her short sword in hand. Hopefully, she's not planning on chopping my dick off, or anything like that.

I moved the handgun a little bit to her right, and fired. The Beretta let out a miniscule sound, and the bullet hit the ground right next to her. She froze in her steps. I fired again, this time, much closer to her. "Ever heard of silencers?" I mockingly said.

She didn't reply, but she watched the handgun much more closely. I didn't like this. I fired again at the same spot, but this time, she deflected the bullet with her sword. "Ping!" was the sound I heard when the bullet touched the blade. 

"What the hell?"

"Odoroku (Surprised)?" She said.

That was impossible! How could she…

"It's easy, really. All I have to do is watch where the gun is pointed at. I can pretty much guess where the bullet will land. I can read you like an open book."

"Bullshit!" I fired again, and again. She deflected all the bullets with ease. I discharged my final six shots, this time all of them aiming for her torso, but she easily deflected them as well.

"Damn," I said, as the Beretta's slides locked up half-way through, just to remind me that the pistol had no more ammo left. I then took out the empty mag, placed it back into my magazine pouch, and took out a fresh one, but before I could slap the new mag into my handgun, she charged towards me. I managed to jump back as she took a swing at me. I heard the sound of clothing being torn just before I landed. I quickly slapped the fresh mag into my handgun, and touched my chest to see if she got a piece of me. Thank goodness, there was no bleeding, but there was a small cut on my uniform.

"Ooi (Hey)! Don't mess up my uniform!"

"Doushite (Why)? You don't want to die naked?" she laughed.

I then pointed my Beretta at her, but she jumped high up into the darkness. "I remember this trick from before."

She did this earlier while fighting the ninjas who were after her. I walked towards where she was, still holding the gun at the ready. I took out my combat knife with my left hand, and even with the knife, I held on to the Beretta with both hands. I drew out the knife so I can match up to her with her short sword, and perhaps deflect her attacks more easily. 

While walking, I stumbled upon my hiding spot from before. There was Leggy, still there, blood heavily concentrated all over her head. I remembered how Kasumi landed on top of her, and shoved her sword towards her skull downwards. It was cool to see that, but now, it didn't look cool at all, and the same thing could happen to…

"SHIT!!!" I yelled inside my head. I didn't think anymore after that. I immediately jumped backwards, and I was right. Kasumi came from above, and attempted to do the same thing that she did earlier. Only this time, she missed. Well, she missed me, but she was able to hit something else.

Just before she landed, she was able to swing her sword at me. It hit the silencer on my Beretta instead, and she was able to saw the thing in half.

"Fuck!" I yelled, looking at my handgun. Yep. The silencer was cut in half. How she was able to do that, I didn't give a shit at this point. It was useless now. I immediately unscrewed it, and discarded the remaining useless part. That fucking bitch, now my handgun isn't suppressed anymore. She might cost me my mission on this.

I then saw her took cover in the darkness, but I didn't see her jump, so she might be hiding behind a tree or bushes or just hiding in the dark. Take your pick. I did the same stance that I did earlier, and started my hunt for her. Or maybe it's the other way around. I just had the feeling that she knew where I was, and that she's waiting for an opportunity to strike. I was thinking about using my torch mounted on my Beretta to look for her hiding spot, when I stumbled into something.

Suddenly, I felt something, possibly some rope, latch onto my legs, and I was launched into the air. "AAAHHHHH!" I yelled. Yup. I managed to stumble into a trap. I didn't think Kasumi made this, since she wouldn't have enough time anyway. Now, I'm high up in the air, legs on top, with my head at the bottom. I still had my weapons in my hands, and I could easily cut the rope with my knife, but because of my current situation, this could be the best thing that could have happened to me. Now, I was high up in the air, but it was still dark, so I was literally invisible. As I looked down, I could see the area, albeit with some difficulty. Because of my shout, I might have attracted her to my location. Then when she's right at the bottom, I'll cut the rope and land on top of her. That should teach her a lesson!

**********

How long has it been? Twenty, maybe thirty minutes? I've been hanging up here for quite some time, and that bitch hasn't shown up yet. I was about to fall asleep, when I heard something. I looked down, and saw some movement. "Oh God. What took you so long?" I thought.

I then saw Kasumi appear right below me, short sword in hand, scanning her surroundings. I waited, and waited, until she was exactly where I want her to be. I then used my upper body to move closer to the rope latched on to me, then I swung my knife at it. I immediately fell, and just before I landed on the ground, I pistol-whipped Kasumi, and hit her just above her right shoulder. Normally, people would be knocked unconscious by the intensity of that attack; instead, Kasumi whimpered away, clutching on to her wound. Fuck, this girl is made of stern stuff, alright.

I was about to put her into a choke hold, when she ducked, and thrust her foot backwards, hitting me directly, uh, down there. "AAAAHHH! FUUCKKKK!" I yelled in a high-pitched voice. I dropped my Beretta and knife, and clutched on to my crotch with both hands. I fell to the ground, rolling around, trying to ease the pain. 

She didn't let me have some time to recover. She immediately went towards me, and took a stab at me. I was able to roll away, so her blade only imbedded itself in dirt. I then ran away as fast as I could, still holding on to my balls. The pain was fading fast, but the embarrassment was still there. The fucking bitch will get it, now. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

I stopped running, and felt my balls. "Nope. It's not broken," I muttered wearily. Well, that's one good news, so far.

I then took out my AK. I had a new plan: tire her out. She'll lose energy quickly if she kept on dodging or deflecting my bullets. With that, I started firing in the general direction that I thought she was in.

"RAT-A-TAT-TAT!"

I lit up my surroundings, and emptied an entire 30-round mag all over the place. I then lowered the rifle to see my results. I was greeted with something reflecting the moonlight, coming straight at me.

I took cover behind a tree, as the shurikens whizzed right past me. I took out the empty mag, and replaced a new one back into my rifle. I chambered a round into the AK, tossed the empty mag towards the spot I was in before, and quickly moved in the shadows while keeping a close lookout at that spot. Sure enough, Kasumi appeared nearby, looking at the place where she last heard a noise. 

"Eat this!" I yelled, and opened fire. She was able to deflect the first two or three shots, then she started running towards my left, a steady stream of bullets following her. She then ran up a tree, and launched herself towards me. By then, I had run out of ammo. Before I could reload, she delivered a powerful kick to my chest, and sent my ass hurtling backwards several feet. 

"Oooff," I grunted, as my back hit a tree. I was now sitting on the ground, my back resting on the tree's trunk. The AK was nowhere in sight, and I was weaponless, except for the grenades, which I had no use for right now. I looked to my left, and saw my savior. 

It was a snake, but it wasn't moving or hissing or anything. It had its eyes open, staring straight at me. Quick fact: snakes always have their eyes open, whether they're awake or not. This one was probably still sleeping. I'll need his "services" shortly.

I then heard footsteps, coming closer and closer. I could make an outline of a person in the dark. This was it. Kasumi was coming in for the kill.

"Hey. That was quite a workout!" I said casually. Geez, I'm about to die here! No time for jokes! "Do you mind if you let me rest for a short while?" 

"Don't worry, you'll be getting your rest…permanently," she replied, devoid of any emotion. "I'm sorry…" She then raised her short sword, and was definitely about to stab me, but I quickly grabbed the snake with my left hand and yelled "BOO!" while tossing the reptile at her.

"HIISSS!" The snake added, apparently surprised at the disturbance.

"EEEKK!" She yelled, as the reptile hit her, and landed right in front of her. "Sune-ku (Snake)!"

She suddenly shifted her attention to the groggy reptile, as she started staring at it with wide-open eyes. Well, girls and snakes don't go well together, I think.

The snake just stared back at her, probably thinking "Wow! A hot chick! This must be a dream! There are no hot chicks in forests!" 

During this distraction, she didn't notice me sneaking up on her. The snake definitely got her full attention if she didn't even notice me moving from my spot, which was right in front of her. I then grabbed her in a chokehold by placing my right arm right under her own right arm, and then ending it by wrapping my left arm around her neck. She gasped, and started struggling, but her left hand, her only free hand, was uselessly dangling around. She still held on to her weapon with her right hand, but she couldn't swing at me no matter how hard she tried. With all the commotion between Kasumi and me, the snake slid away, probably to look for a much quieter place to sleep.

"Give it up," I said, and then tightened the pressure on her neck. "Make it easy on yourself."

"No, masa…ka (never)," she replied.

I kept my hold on her for several minutes, making it tighter and tighter per minute. Finally, she dropped her weapon, and she stopped struggling. 

"Time to hear that snap…NO! I'm not supposed to kill her!" I thought. I then slowly lessened my grip on her, as we both went down to the ground. I was now sitting down on the ground, with Kasumi on top of my lap. The sun suddenly started rising. It was now early morning. This must have been the toughest fight I have ever encountered, and it didn't end with someone dying, for once. As I thought of what to do next, all I could do was stare at the beauty I was holding on to. "Maybe I should…hehehe."

**End of Chapter 10**

Author's note: Woot! Another long chapter! I'm on a roll!


	11. Kasumi

**Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier**

thenextcujo: Thanks!

Gouki: Yup. Definitely a fun chapter.

Crystalline Tears: Your review is very, very helpful. Now, at least I know that the character personalities are somewhat appropriate. Thanks a lot, bud.

Clutch'd: Glad to see you're back. You've been MIA for about two weeks. You've got a lot of writing and reviewing to do!

Clutch'd Chapter 8: Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. It was a short chapter, though.

Clutch'd Chapter 9: I'm sorry to tell you this, but Bayman won't appear until much later, so you might want to cancel your celebration. You will see references about him from time to time, but that's it for now. And yep, Kasumi kicked ass. Hoo-yah!

Clutch'd Chapter 10: Weelll, there's always the next chapter, you know… ^_^

Wolf Runner: Wow. You wrote the longest review so far. Whatever gave you the idea that Chapter 10 was the final chapter? Right now, I'm thinking that I'll need around 40-50 chapters just to finish the whole story. Oh, and thanks for the long review.

**Chapter 11: Kasumi**

Yes, I admit that I have a dirty, perverted, sick mind, in no particular order, but there's one thing that's different about me: I am not a rapist. I'm not about to take advantage of any girl that I meet, even in these circumstances. After debating with myself about what to do to the unconscious beauty above me, I decided to let her rest. I carried her, and placed her just under a tree, so she can take a snooze. I examined her thoroughly, and no, not in that way, as I'm in a professional mood right now, or so I think. She was battered and bruised, and the bullet wound on her right shoulder started to bleed again, probably when I pistol-whipped her earlier. The bandage that she applied was now soaked, and the bandage on her back shoulder, because there was an exit wound, was in the same condition. I then decided to treat her wounds, but I'll do that later. Right now, I have things to do.

I searched her body for any weapons, and found a ton of shurikens all over her. They were inside the skimpy clothing she was wearing. I pocketed them, and I'll probably give them back, if she isn't pissed when she wakes up, and that probably won't happen.

I then retraced my steps to recover my missing gear. I found the Beretta, sans the silencer, of course, thanks to her, and combat knife nearby, as well as my backpack, which was pretty much lying where the slaughtered ninjas were. I'll do an equipment check later, so I just placed the pack on my back, but not after taking out some first aid stuff. I had to treat my wounds first, after all. I had a cut on my left hand, but it wasn't bleeding that badly. Still, I took off my glove, cleaned the wound, applied some disinfectant, and wrapped some bandage all over it. I also had bruises on my chest and probably my balls too, but I didn't bother treating them. As long as it's not bleeding, it's all good, I think. 

Anyway, after playing doctor with myself, I made my way back to where Sleeping Beauty is, but before I reached that place, I stumbled across her short sword. I scooped the weapon off the ground and looked at it. It was about twice as long and twice as thin as my combat knife. It was heavily soaked in blood, and just looking at it mesmerized me. I took some practice swings with it, and the blood was scattered all over the place. I then wiped the sword on my pants to get rid of the remaining blood.

I then made my way back to her resting place, still holding on to her weapon, but she wasn't there anymore!

"Shit," I muttered. I was about to drop the sword and bring out my Beretta, but it was too late. A hand grabbed my face very roughly, obscuring my vision, and another hand darted from my right side, and I felt something sharp touch my neck. I could barely see ahead, but I was able to see a glimpse of the sharp weapon. It was a shuriken. I thought that I've taken all of her toys away. Next time I have to search a woman, I'm going to strip her of all her clothing. No ifs or buts, if there's a next time.

Well, now I know how that terrorist felt before I slit his throat. "Umm, hi?" I said. I was still holding the sword with my right hand, but it's not advisable to use it right now, let alone move my right hand.

"Why did you let me live?" Kasumi asked. 

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not your enemy. I just wanted my stuff back. I got it, now just let me be," I replied.

"You didn't…do anything to me while I was unconscious, did you?"

"Nope. I swear! I'm not a maniac!" I said. That took a lot of effort on my part to say that. "Look. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done that earlier, right?"

"Shinsei (True)," she said. She then calmed down a bit, and slowly relaxed her hold on me. I really hate it when someone sneaks up on me, so I decided to have a little fun with her.

With the shuriken far away from my neck, I quickly turned around and gave her a body slam. She was caught by surprise, and she fell. The second she hit the ground, I was already upon her. My knees were placed on top of her stomach and I pointed her own weapon at her own face.

"First rule of survival is to only think about oneself," I said, as the blade inched closer to her cute face. "Never trust strangers. And for that, you may die now."

A look of horror was shown on her face. She squirmed around, but after about half a minute, I suddenly started laughing out loud.

"Hahaha! I'm just fucking with you," I said. I then stood up, and helped her get on her feet as well. She had a confusing look on her face, and right now, she probably thinks that I'm fucking nuts. Well, whatever.

"Here." I then offered the sword back to her. I held the blade, so the hilt would be facing her. She just stood there, staring straight ahead. Now that we're standing still and close to each other, I'd have to say that she's around 5"1'. I stood at exactly 5"11', so she was staring straight into my chest.

"Hey. Lighten up, alright?" I said, as I moved closer and ruffled her hair a bit. That seemed to make her snap out of her mini-trance, as she looked at me and shoved my hand away. She also took back her weapon and placed it inside her sheath.

"You look very tired. You'd better get some rest," I said, and added "Want me to treat your wounds?"

"No, thank you. I can manage." She replied, as she sat down and placed her back in front of a large tree. She then started removing the dirty bandages and replaced them with fresh ones.

I then sat down right next to her, and started doing an inventory check.

**********

It was still awkward between us. We made casual talk, usually about the weather or whatever that's unrelated to the current situation. I wasn't really listening, just giving an "uhuh" or a "hmm hmm" here and there. I was too busy checking on my things.

"…so what's your name? You know mine, how about telling me yours?" she suddenly asked.

"Don't have one. If I did, I'm not authorized to tell you," I said in a mechanical voice. It's what I've been saying throughout the years. It generally kills the conversation, so I use that line a lot.

"I see. It must be sad, having no name."

"Nah. It's not sad at all. It's just…strange," I replied. I then pulled out the weapon I stowed inside my pack. Yep. It's my favorite submachine gun. The HK MP5 is one of the best firearms that I've ever used. It has a high rate of fire, and it's still controllable even when firing in full-auto. This sub gun is chambered for the 10x25mm pistol cartridge. It's definitely much stronger than your regular MP5 chambered for the 9mm. I then extended the retractable stock, and attached the silencer designed for the sub gun. It's slightly noisier than, say, the silenced Beretta, but it's definitely much quieter than your regular gun. Good thing this sub gun is still in one piece, and with the suppressor, I can now forgive Kasumi for screwing up the silencer on my Beretta.

"Do you have any family?" She said, interrupting my lecture to myself. 

"I had a mom and a dad. That's it," I replied. 

"Where are they now?" She asked, not noticing the past tense in my reply.

"They're both dead," I said flatly. 

"Oh." She sounded sincere when she said that. "I'm sorry. How did they die?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," I replied hastily. There was silence after that. During that time, I stared and fooled around with my MP5, just to distract myself.

"I had a mom and dad too," she said, breaking the silence. "But they both died when I was young…"

"Look. I don't care! I'm not interested in listening to your life story," I growled inside my mind. I then fished out some plastic explosives from my pack, and examined them.

"…now, I only have a brother and a sister…"

C4. They're the best portable explosives. They have about 1.5 times the explosive power of dynamite, and will not explode without the use of a detonator, even when they are shot or beaten. I have a lot of them, and they'll definitely come in handy if I have to blow something up, like a bridge or a small house.

"…I miss and love them both so much, but…"

I took out a pair of goggles. Night Vision Goggles, to be precise. Now, combat and navigation in the dark will be a lot easier. These goggles work by amplifying light a thousand, or was it a million times? Anyway, as long as there's a little bit of light, they'll work. If there is no light at all, these goggles would be useless.

"…now, they hate me, and want me dead…"

What do we have here? Oh, it's the thingamajig. What was it? Oh yeah. The Laser Designator. With this nifty shit, I can lace a target and call in an air strike. Soldiers use this device a lot in the battlefield, but I've never used one before. Hope this thing will work when I use it.

"Are you listening to me?"

And of course, the pack had a ton of ammo for the sub gun and handgun. With the AK47, things will be a little bit heavier, but at least if I run out of ammo, there will be more to find. Just kill a terrorist and take the ammo for the AK. Simple as that. And I've also got rations and…

"Ooi (Hey)!" She said, tapping my shoulder.  
  


"Nani (What)?" I replied. I hate being interrupted while thinking.

"What was I saying earlier?"

"Uhh, you were talking about your dead husband, right?" I said. Eep.

"Was my story so boring that you didn't even bother listening?" She said in an annoying voice.

"Look, you don't have to tell me your life story."

"But I just did. Do you know what that means?" Yes, actually, I do. That means you're beginning to show some trust in me. Right now, I don't care about that.

"I thought I've found someone to talk to…I was wrong," She continued.

"Go talk to a wall. You'll get more responses there," I said.

"…you're a heartless bastard," she said icily.

"Tell me about it," I said, as I chambered a round into the sub gun.

Silence. I looked at her from the corner of my eye, and saw her lying down on the ground. "You planning on sleeping? It's lunch time. I've got some food here."

"I'd rather sleep right now," she grunted.

"OK. Just tell me if you're hungry," 

There was no reply. Not even a grunt or anything from her. Something was definitely wrong.

"Kasumi?" I looked at her, and she was still in the same position, but she wasn't breathing normally. I stood up quietly and looked over her, and saw a snake, just inches away from her nose.

I then took out my combat knife, and slowly circled around her. "Just stay still and shut up. Let me handle this." She would have nodded, but she didn't move at all. Good girl.

I then slowly stalked the snake from its side, and approached it. It was still fixed on Kasumi, and I could see that this one had fangs. Yup. A poisonous snake. If it bit her in the nose, the poison will go all the way to her brain and kill her instantly.

In less than a second, I decapitated the snake using my knife. Blood splattered all over the place, and it hit Kasumi's right cheek. She yelped, and rolled away. I examined the snake, and muttered "lunch time". Hey, can't let food go to waste. I have rations, but they can last for a long time, so they can wait.

She stood up, staring at the headless snake. "I hate snakes…" she muttered. Phobia, perhaps?

"Hey. You have some blood on your cheek," I said. Without thinking, I grabbed her head, moved it close to mine, and licked some of the blood off her right cheek. "Yum."

She then just stared at me like I had two heads. Her reaction was definitely priceless. She didn't even utter a word.

"You've got some more blood left…" I said, but she quickly looked away and wiped the blood off with her hand. Aww.

She then looked back at me and muttered "You…are…crazy."

I smiled. "I know."

**End of Chapter 11**


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